1. GRATITUDE: Begin by thanking God in a personal dialogue for whatever you are most grateful for today.
2. AWARENESS: Revisit the times in the past twenty-four hours when you were and were not the-best-version-of-yourself. Talk to God about these situations and what you learned from them.
3. SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS: Identify something you experienced today and explore what God might be trying to say to you through that event (or person).
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St. Paul says in Romans 5:10, “If, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.” The CCC #654 explains this further: “The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by His death, Christ liberates us from sin; by His Resurrection, He opens for us the way to a new life. This new life is above all justification that reinstates us in God’s grace, “so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

A long time ago, I saw a movie, and, in that movie, a man said this to his wife, “There can be no life without you.” It is the most touching statement about human love I have ever heard. There can be no life without you!

The fourth Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday. That comes from the Latin “to rejoice or be joyful.” We need Laetare Sunday when we look at all the sadness and suffering in our world today. There is still terrorism, poverty and denial of human rights and religious freedom in the world. Recently, I made a decision to stop reading news about Nigeria because it is very depressing. We need to rejoice in something and today Jesus and St. Paul give us good reason to rejoice.

When we watch football games we’ve all seen that character in the end zone with orange, blue, and purple hair, holding up a sign that reads simply, “John 3:16.’ John 3:16 is probably the best known line from the Bible and it is in our gospel today. John 3:16 says, “For God so love the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life.” That’s good news!

When I was about 18, before I started training for the Priesthood, I dated a girl called Olivia. We dated only for about three months. Olivia is from a very traditional Catholic family. In Nigeria, parents do not allow their kids who are under 20 to date. So Olivia and I dated secretly. But sooner than later, her parents and siblings found out. They found out because she mistakenly left the Valentine card I made for her on her reading table.  One of her siblings found it and reported her to mom and dad. Before this incident, Olivia and I were study partner. We were preparing for an examination. So, I lend her one of my books. For some reasons she stopped coming to the library where she and I used to study. There was no cell phone at the time. So I decided to pay her a visit so I could have my book back. When I got to the house and asked to see her, her whole family came out to finally meet this guy who was trying to corrupt Olivia. The looks I got from them was very terrifying. They were like is this the Clement? They spoke in their language and the only thing I could understand was those times they mentioned my name. I was so embarrassed. Well because of the pressure from her parents and older siblings, Olivia and I decided to end the relationship. We lacked the courage to nurture our beautiful relationship.

In our gospel for this second Sunday of Lent, we heard the account of Christ’s transfiguration. The transfiguration is a very significant moment in the salvific work of Christ. It was a source of motivation for Christ and a source of inspiration for future believers. It futures prominently during the second Sunday of Lent to remind believers that though Lent invites us to make sacrifices, it is very much a journey to grace and glory.

There are many reasons the event of the transfiguration took place. But chief amongst all the reasons proposed is the revelation of the divine nature of Christ. And this has some implications for our lives as believers. Today, I will like to reflect on two of those implications.

Early last week, at about 6pm Arizona time, and 2am Nigerian time, my kid sister Alice called me on the phone and she sounded very nervous. I thought my mom was having a health crisis. My mom has a high blood pressure condition. But it was not about my mom. It was about my kid brother who has been battling with alcohol and drug addiction. He came to Makurdi to celebrate Christmas with the rest of the family. So we asked him to stay in Makurdi for some time while we plan on helping him get some treatment for his addiction. But that night, he came back drunk and was very violent. It scared me to death. But thank goodness he calmed down and went to bed.

Our big word today is “Authority”. In the first reading, we heard about God’s plan to raise a spiritual leader like Moses whose teaching will carry the same authority like that of Moses. In the gospel St. Mark tells us that the people were amazed because Jesus taught with authority.

But what does it mean precisely to say that Jesus taught with authority? The common explanation is to contrast Jesus’ method of teaching with that of the Scribes. Biblical scholars say that the Scribes taught citing past Rabbis to give credibility to their teaching. Jesus on the other hand taught as one who knows the mind of God. But I tell you, there is more to the idea about Jesus teaching with authority.

It is very exciting to get to experience different cultures. It gives you a sense of balance. One of the very interesting thing I have noticed living in the US for the last three years is how very affirming you guys are. Americans find it very easy to express their feelings towards you. Not just here in the Church, even in the soccer field people walk up to me and tell me how much they appreciate or love me. It’s just an amazing way to help people appreciate their self-worth.